FLR (M) Online utility bills as correspondence proof

Hello ImmigrationBoards,

Thank you in advance for any help.

We are sending off my wife's FLR (M) spouse visa extension application at the end of the month, we have collected all the documents and whilst completing the online form. I have just seen the following paragraph regarding the bank statements showing where my salary is going:

"Personal bank statements corresponding to the same period(s) as the payslips showing that the salary has been paid into an account in the name of the person or in the name of the person and their partner jointly"

My salary is going into an account which is in the joint names of me and my brother, do you guys think this will be an issue?

This has got me really worried now, if this minor issue could cause my wife's visa to be rejected. If I knew earlier the account had to be in solely in my name or only jointly with my partner, i would have asked my employer to send my salary to one of my other accounts.

Thank you very much.

More likely there won't be any issue as long as your brother also signed on relevant consent section of the application form (if there is any).

Hi Seagul,

Thank you for your response.

There doesnt seem to be any such section for him to sign. I was thinking that I could get him to write me up a letter saying we have a joint account and that he confirms my salary goes into the account and him sign that. Would you advise anything else for him to mention in the letter, I was thinking maybe him saying that the salary is for my use only.

The end of the online form provides you with the 3 consent forms that have to be signed.

Thank you, which one shall my brother sign, PART 2: Consent for the Home Office to verify third party information or PART 3: Consent for the Home Office to verify information from third party
sponsor or would he sign both?

Sorry also on of the reasons I was really getting worried was because I read the following of the gov UK website:

"(a) Bank statements must:
(i) be from a financial institution regulated by the appropriate regulatory body for the country in which that institution is operating.
(ii) not be from a financial institution on the list of excluded institutions in Appendix P of these rules.
(iii) in relation to personal bank statements be only in the name of:
(1) the applicant’s partner, the applicant or both as appropriate; or
(2) if the applicant is a child the applicant parent’s partner, the applicant’s parent or both as appropriate; or
(3) if the applicant is an adult dependent relative, the applicant’s sponsor or the applicant, unless otherwise stated."

This was from Immigration Rules Appendix FM-SE: family members specified evidence.

Yes, HO could well have an issue with a bank statement that is not in your name or joint name with your spouse.

Hello ImmigrationBoards,

Thank you in advance for any help.

We will be submitting my wife's spouse visa extension application within the next month. During her initial visa period, she was in Pakistan for 4 and half months continuously between Jan 18 and May 18, this was a trip to see and spend time with family and also to have operation to remove a cyst. We are writing in a cover letter to explain the absence, stating that she spent 1 month as a holiday to visit family, 1 month having appointments and operation, 1 month recovering and spending final 1 and a half months with family again as she has no more plans to back any time soon so made the most of the trip.

Do you see any issues coming from her being out of the country for this amount of time and would you advise to write anything else in the cover letter to explain the absence?

Thank you very much.

No letter required

There is no absence limit for spouse visa holders.

Hello Everyone,

All our utility bills are online, can we print these and include them as proof of cohabitation or can we only include letters that come physically through the post, as we don't have many of these if we dont include online documents, also the same question applies for online bank statements as proof cohabitation?

Thank you.

CR001 wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 13, 2019 11:13 am

Topics Merged!! Please keep ALL questions on the same application in ONE thread (this one) - click to read forum rule!!

Sorry CR001, didnt know this, will do from now on.

But if anyone has experience regarding including e-bills, advice would be appreciated.

Thank you.

ibzk wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 13, 2019 11:08 am

Hello Everyone,

All our utility bills are online, can we print these and include them as proof of cohabitation or can we only include letters that come physically through the post, as we don't have many of these if we dont include online documents, also the same question applies for online bank statements as proof cohabitation?

Thank you.

Since the steria sopra is all paperless who scan, upload and dispatch the documents to HO electronically so I think you will be fine as long as your online documents are in their acceptable format & size like in pdf/jpg/jpeg format while not bigger than 6 MB.

seagul wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 13, 2019 1:37 pm

ibzk wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 13, 2019 11:08 am

Hello Everyone,

All our utility bills are online, can we print these and include them as proof of cohabitation or can we only include letters that come physically through the post, as we don't have many of these if we dont include online documents, also the same question applies for online bank statements as proof cohabitation?

Thank you.

Since the steria sopra is all paperless who scan, upload and dispatch the documents to HO electronically so I think you will be fine as long as your online documents are in their acceptable format & size like in pdf/jpg/jpeg format while not bigger than 6 MB.

Thank you seagul, should I directly upload the pdfs (then HO will be able to tell they are online bills) or should I print and re-scan and then upload along with my other paper correspondence?

ibzk wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 13, 2019 1:53 pm

seagul wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 13, 2019 1:37 pm

ibzk wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 13, 2019 11:08 am

Hello Everyone,

All our utility bills are online, can we print these and include them as proof of cohabitation or can we only include letters that come physically through the post, as we don't have many of these if we dont include online documents, also the same question applies for online bank statements as proof cohabitation?

Thank you.

Since the steria sopra is all paperless who scan, upload and dispatch the documents to HO electronically so I think you will be fine as long as your online documents are in their acceptable format & size like in pdf/jpg/jpeg format while not bigger than 6 MB.

Thank you seagul, should I directly upload the pdfs (then HO will be able to tell they are online bills) or should I print and re-scan and then upload along with my other paper correspondence?

Usually there are two options for in country applications, either to upload the documents by yourself or by steria sopra. I think if you upload yourself then no need of printing them otherwise steria sopra might want printed copies for scanning.

Hi ibzk,

Can I ask if you had any problems submitting your online bills as proof of cohabitation? I'm in a similar situation

Kind regards,
James